How to Write 序 (xù) — Meaning “preface; order”

Picture a roof (广) over a person giving a speech (予) at the beginning of an event – the speech is the preface that sets the order. This image links the shelter and the act of giving to the idea of a preface and sequence.

First write the radical 广 with its three strokes: dot, horizontal, left-falling. Then write 予 below it, making sure the horizontal hook of 予 is balanced and the final stroke is a neat dot. A common mistake is making the 予 part too wide, which throws off the overall proportion.

序 and 庀 both have the 广 radical, but inside 序 has 予 (to give) while 庀 has 匕 (spoon/dagger), and 庀 means 'to prepare' not 'order'. 平 (píng) looks different because it does not use the 广 radical at all; it means 'flat' or 'even'.

序 appears in common words like 顺序 (shùnxù, order), 秩序 (zhìxù, social order), and 程序 (chéngxù, procedure or computer program). In publishing, 序 specifically means the preface or foreword of a book, which introduces the content and structure.

Common words containing 序 include: 顺序 (shùn xù) — order; sequence; 秩序 (zhì xù) — order / social order; 程序 (chéng xù) — procedure; program.